Devils stay hot, beat Pittsburgh

Associated Press

NEWARK, N.J.

While Ilya Kovachuk refuses to take credit for the New Jersey Devils’ surge since the All-Star break, his teammates can see that the forward has elevated his game.

Kovalchuk had a goal and two assists, and the Devils extended their winning streak to four games with a 5-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday.

Anton Volchenkov, Dainius Zubrus, Zach Parise and David Clarkson also scored for the Devils, who remained perfect since the All-Star break while equaling their season-best win streak. Kovalchuk has been the key to the surge with three goals and seven assists in the four games.

“He’s a heart and soul guy,” Clarkson said. “He flies out there. He’s always been a guy who finds the net and makes plays. He’s a positive guy in the room, whether we’re winning or losing. It’s great to see him doing well, and that’s why we’re doing well.”

When asked about his play, Kovalchuk put the focus squarely on the team.

“We’re all playing good,” Kovalchuk said. “Individually, you can’t do much anymore because everybody watches videos and everybody plays a system. You need the five guys on the ice to be on the same page, to play the same way, to be successful.”

Martin Brodeur made 28 saves and got an assist on Clarkson’s empty-net goal in the closing seconds.

Matt Niskanen and Evgeni Malkin scored for the Penguins who had won nine of 10. Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury was yanked early in the second period after surrendering three goals, ending his nine-game winning streak.

“We gave them a couple of goals and we were playing from behind right from the start,” Niskanen said.